Comments about ‘In our opinion: Mexico drug woes are ours’

I am 100% in agreement with you on every point that you made, except for one. You falsely state that Mexicans can buy guns at gun shows in America, and that is a lie and complete misrepresentation of Federal and State law. 100% untrue, correct yourself.
You correctly stated that "the consumers of illicit drugs are American. And their habits wreck American families, crowd American jails and undermine American law enforcement efforts." But you failed to mention how you can stop Americans from using drugs. The first step would be to completely close the US-Mexico border for months. Troops on the border, no ins or outs, and force Mexico to stop its citizens from crossing into this country illegally. Of the drug dealers setting up posts in different US cities, how many do you think were illegal aliens? My bet would be 99% of Mexican drug traffickers, dealers, and distributors in the US are illegal. So close the border.
Second, find ways to actually punish and help those who are caught using, selling, or buying drugs. Harsher penalties, but smarter and increased services to counsel, treat, and rehabilitate those involved in drugs would go a long way.

Your claim that drug terrorists can "waltz" into American and buy all sorts of guns at gun shows and go home with them is the most false, poorly researched and inaccurate statement I have ever seen come from the Desnews. I mean, from the lying brady campaign people, obama, and his black AG Holder ( I had to mention that he was black to avoid being called a coward by him) I expect this totalitarian attitude and lies to support their radical agenda. But really, from the Deseret News, I would expect more educated and informed opinions-seeing as how most Utahans own a handful of guns and many hunt. Also, if you know that little of gun shows, I invite you to attend the next one at the Expo center and buy a gun, and then you will see how much waltzing you actually do, and how easy it is. Your opinion on this matter was completely negated when you abandoned all truth and logic with your unbelievable and uneducated comment on gun shows. Shot yourself in the foot on that one.

I work for SOUTHCOM in the drug war and it is esential to continue to support Plan Colombia and other counterdrug operations. This is an area of the world that is often overlooked by most Americans. The public focuses on the Middle East but South America is just as important. Mexicans and Colombians are sick of the drug runners. They want to get rid of them as much as we do. Colombia has delivered devistating blows to the drug trade reecently but they have to have our help. We are making progress. I know that we will never completly eradicate this problem, but we have to keep up the fight or we loose our youth to the drug trade.

What a rediculous ediorial opinion deseret news, first it is us the American citizens fault that we have virtually open borders and have had no enforcement for the past 10 years. Second your paper and the tribune have done nothing but champion the cause of illegal aliens, from instate tuition to the drivers license issue, and made every effort to push for an amnesty for same. Now we have a drug war on the border and because we have gun shows that sell weapons legally to U.S. citizens then there again it's our fault because we have guns for sale at gun shows? If this article is not enough to show the readership what a total liberal agenda the deseret news has turned to than I don't know what is. We need to build the fence and close the border, then begin to deport the estimated 20 million illegals in the United States, then and only then will we begin to get a handle on our own violence caused by the criminal element that has been coming here from Mexico, after that maybe we can then begin to help our neighbor to the south.

As a former border police officer, I can tell you that most Mexican police officers are under trained, under paid, under equipt and most don't even have bullet proof vests. In our country we tend to take for granted that our police forces are properly trained and work with the top of the line equipment.
Local Mexican police report mahor crime incidents to state police detectives. Who in turn depending to the nature of the crime have to report then to the federal police. Authorities do not have the training nor the equipment to verify suspects names though their finger prints as we can here in the U.S.

Up until recently people could buy hand guns at flea markets around the U.S. I assume that is the watlz that is mentioned here not the gun shows.
By the way Mexican police officers do not qualify to get home mortgages because their occupations are a risk for financial institutions. So there is something that we can do to help Mexico fight what would be our fight.

It is time to recognize that Mexico is paying for our sins. Perhaps a little appreciation can be expressed as they fight our addiction fueled war for us. Gun sales on the street are made possible by easy access to guns at gun shows. Just because the author of this article fails to mention a small step does not mean the point should be lost.

Sealing the border? All that would do is is change portal of entry. Do you really want very well financed drug cartels to invest itself into compromising our ports? this would in essence create an r&d program for port infiltration that anybody willing to work with a drug cartel could use. Talk about a security threat!

Please, just stop and think past simplistic ideas and xenophobic ideology for a moment and lets think of what is actually good and useful. I believe the author was making an attempt at this.

I still say put our military on our borders to shut down all movement of people and vehicles from mexico. The source is not in america but it must come across our borders to get here. The US is the destination of these drugs and it would be cheaper and more effective to stop the smuggling than going after the source. The US should do its enforcement at the border, not Columbia, mexico, or south america. The king pins in the drug world are too rich and powerful to bring them down. But it would be much easier and simpler to man the borders with armed military using extreme prejudice to protect our borders. Chasing ghosts for 20 years has been inefective and useless as long as there is a supply train in to the US. Stopping the supply would be more effective than chasing well armed ghosts where we are not welcomed. In foreign countries we have limited authority, in the US we have full authroity to stop the flow. Sacrificing americans for free trade is not worth the losses we have been getting in return. Mexico's build up are token actions.

They are our concerns because our government both state and federal have allowed it to become so in the way of "illegal aliens" I'm tired of hearing they come here for a better life, well yes they do, the push drugs and build up their gangs. Why are we the taxpayer repsonsible to educate them or provide medical care when we neglect our own citizens.

It is a good thing this was printed on the opinion page as it is short on facts and substance. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It should be obvious by now that prohibition does not work.

You say, we need to keep the Mexican Calderon's vision alive by maintaining strong ties with Columbia and other South American countries. What, exactly, does "strong ties" mean? You say we need to keep the drug cartels from buying guns at gun shows and taking them home. I don't believe that is happening, but since it is already illegal you are claiming that Federal Law enforcement is failing at its job. Is that your contention? How should we get first hand accounts? Send in the CIA? Do you really think we should give an oil rich nation like Mexico weapons, armor, and intelligence? A serious nation would buy these things for themselves. They, and you, want us to do these things for them. There is a reason for that thing called a border. See if you can figure out what that reason is.

Every illegal selling drugs caught in USA should get the death penalty

ATF Agent Bill Newell has worked with the Mexican government to stop weapons trafficking, and a representative from the Mexican Justice Department has a desk in the Phoenix ATF office. More than 5,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year alone, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and 95 percent of the weapons recovered from those killings were traced back to the U.S. Newell says the guns are coming from all over the U.S, though. The weapons and ammunition are being bought on the black market and at gun shows, but mostly from licensed dealers. Arizona and Texas make it especially easy to buy guns retail. Basically, any adult with a valid ID and no criminal record can buy as many as he or she wants.

So, is Mexico ready to have the border sealed? Are they willing to help? I presume a sealed border would be to their benefit as well, no? I guess the question is whether Mexico is better off exporting its poor, along with drugs, or not.

Your right on one point, they can just waltz into our country. I have a novel idea; why don't we just build some sort of barrier down on the border to make it harder for them to just waltz into our country?

U.S.A. = the # 1 manufacturer and exporter of arms in the world. That fact is undisputable. Now, the drug cartels of Mexico get ~ 90% of their arms(This according to 60 minutes) from the good ol U.S. of A. This is one of the sources of their power. The others are the american weapons manufacturers, their lobbyists and american politicians. Of course right wing nuts will claim that that is CBS and they spin the news to the liberal agenda. But most adults can understand that the free for all that is the gun lobby in this country bears some responsibility for the situation. The cartels are not crossing the border and stealing these weapons. They are buying them leagally, somehow. Remember no child left without a weapon. That's the good Christian america our founding fathers had in mind.

I love how everyone wants to blame the U.S. for everything. It is not our fault that drug dealers decide to kill each other and are fueled by greed. It's not our fault that the government of Mexico has been so corrupt that they have allowed this to happen. What is our fault is allowing liberals to intimidate us into keeping the borders open and not dealing with drug abuse. This is an issue of government corruption and greed on both sides. But don't blame the U.S. when corrupt people start killing each other. They made the choice to do it. People need to start taking responsiblity and for their action and quit blaming others. If we don't we are in big trouble. Also they would have gotten the guns some place else. I am sure ak 47's from Russia will work just as well as an ar-15. Once Holder takes away the right to defend yourself against criminals with assualt rifles, that will make everything A Ok.

News flash - many of the illegal drugs that enter this country do so through legal entry processes - not illegal border crossings. Additionally, many of those who sell drugs are in the US legally and many are US citizens.

and that comment

"that every illegal caught selling drugs should get the death penalty" is

That when cornered or fleeing arrest, ALL bets would be off as far as behavior. That person would have no problem running over pedestrians, firing into crowds, using explosives, etc. as they would know they were going to be executed anyway.

Oftentimes making the punishment worse makes the behavior worse. But you probably haven't thought that through have you?

Actually to really cripple the cartels we should control and 'semi-legalize' the drug trade. Then the price could be controlled, taxes could be taken, prescriptions would be required, and the cartels would be burried in redtape like the American small businessman has already experienced.

There is no war on drugs. If there ever was one, it was lost long ago. Just think about it, Afganistan, another drug empire, the U.S. military is there and even they can't control it.
There are only two solutions that I can think of: Either better education, which is worthless.
Or, use the Dutch system (Netherlands) where the government controls it all. This way you can undercut the gangs and get a better deal and you are registered.
No doubt there would be some who disagree, but keep in mind, the current situation is worthless, it isn't achieving anything. and people like you haven't been able to control the situation.

The Editor that wrote this column wants our government to export more guns and ammo to Mexico. Does anybody think those weapons won't find their way into the hands of drug cartels?

Most adults understand that people are responsible for their own actions. They don't see people breaking the law and try to blame it on someone else. Children do that, not civilized adults. If an American is buying guns here and smuggling them to drug cartels in Mexico then that American is responsible for straw man purchases and smuggling of contraband. If some politician or law enforcement officer on either side of the border knows about this and allows it to happen then they are responsible as well. Manufacturers are not responsible for the gun violence in Mexico anymore than vehicle manufacturers are responsible for the carnage on our highways. Gun owners and our constitutionally protected right to own guns has nothing to do with illegal importation of guns into Mexico.

Man up, and place blame where it belongs. Quit using this issue to advance your political agenda.

the common man understands the problem as most of these posts reveal. US citizens buying drugs are at the center of this problem and. They should be held to be accountable and pay for it. They are responsible for for this traffiking problem.
US Drug addicts are causing it all. Let them pay the price. Anti gun advocates do not understand criminals and can not solve crime problems. The open border is much of our problem,

I agree with Wrong but kind of Right.